Family and friends recall Baltimore-born “Dona” as a devoted mother, fierce advocate for women and children and a lover of all things Italian

By Rafael Alvarez / March 24, 2019

A member of the extended Brew family, Dean Bartoli Smith, suffered a loss recently, the death of his mother from cancer at the age of 76. Another Brew-er, the writer Rafael Alvarez, offers a tribute that captures her spirit – and an earlier era in Baltimore.